It was followed by Singapore and South Korea in second place, whose citizens can visit 189 destinations without getting a visa before travel.

The “continued dominance” of Asian countries in the passport index reflects the “extraordinary effect that international mobility and migration has had on the region”, said Henley & Partners, a citizenship advisory firm.

Germany and France are ranked in third place, with access to 188 destinations without a visa; while the US and the UK continue to falter, and now sit at joint sixth place with access to 185 destinations. It marks a significant fall from 2015 when American and British passports were ranked the strongest.

In fourth place are Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Sweden, while Spain and Luxembourg are joint fifth.

At the bottom of the 2019 ranking is Iraq and Afghanistan (104th), with access to just 30 visa-free destinations each.

About the Henley Passport Index

The Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and it is enhanced by extensive, ongoing research by the Henley & Partners Research Department.